LGBTQ+. Are we X-Men for real?
- Ms Andrea King
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Nobody chooses to be a mutant.
Nobody sat in a waiting room flicking through a catalogue thinking "oh yeah that’s so cool, I want that one." Ha, it doesn't work like that. The X-gene just decides. Take Rogue for example. She didn't ask for her power, couldn't control it and suddenly every person she tried to get close to ended up unconscious on the floor. Tell me that's not us.
We don’t choose to be LGBTQ+. We just are.
In the films the mutation wasn’t so much of an issue. The problem was everyone else making it one. And for us, being in a world where some people are fine with who you are and some aren't, plus you can never really tell which one you're dealing with until it's too late, can be tough. Anyway.
So we adapted. And somewhere along the way, we ended up with powers most people don't even know they're missing.
Mutant Power Number One
Reading the room.
LGBTQ+ people read rooms the way Jean Grey reads minds. Constantly. Involuntarily. Whether we want to or not.
You develop that power either pretty quickly after coming out, maybe walking into a bar with your boyfriend for the first time or as Andrea instead of Andy. Or it develops over time, from an early age. The tomboy lesbian or young trans guy at school. The effeminate boy who’s automatically assumed to be gay and so the other kids just love to bully him because of that.
Straight, cis people don't have to do this. Not like we do anyway. They just. Walk into rooms. I remember doing that, it was cool.
Sometimes that power is really worth having. Sometimes it's even the difference between a good night out or one ending in A&E.
But mostly it's not quite that sinister. Like the cashier who scans your shopping with something that isn't quite a smile, almost disdain in fact. Or the once-a-year family gathering where you walk in and feel it immediately, you can see people whispering to each other about you, even if you can’t actually hear them.
And yeah, maybe you learn to understand why. Religion, culture, family background, media portrayal or even just some guy who needs to look hard in front of his mates. The reasons are always different and so are the consequences.
So you might walk straight back out. Might stay anyway because sod it, why should you be forced to leave. At least with your mutant power you know what to expect, even if it is uncomfortable.
Mutant Power Number Two
Getting back up.
Wolverine doesn't have the ability to not get hurt. People always get that wrong. He gets hurt. Constantly. Ouch. Then he just heals, gets up and goes again.
That's not invincibility. That's just like, no other option. And what else is a Marvel superhero gonna do anyway? Oh yeah and a certain amount of bloody mindedness too.
LGBTQ+ people don't go through life untouched. That's not the power. The power is that most of us have been knocked down so many times, in so many different ways, that we just got good at getting back up. The coming out that went badly. The friend who just stopped calling. The job that somehow went to someone else even though you were clearly the best person for it. The family member who said they needed time and five years later is still taking it.
So we get back up. Because we either don’t have much choice or just like Wolverine, we ain’t gonna let it beat us.
Mutant Power Number Three
Seeing what others don't.
Mystique spends her life moving between worlds. Passing as someone she isn't when she has to. Watching how people behave when they think she's one of them.
Let’s be honest. Most of us who are LGBTQ+ know that feeling. You see how people react to you before they hear who you are and then after. The gap between those two things can be surprising, a relief, upsetting or even devastating.
Like the best friend you’ve known for years since you were a kid who you thought would be fine and they weren’t. Or the family member who loves you, genuinely loves you, but is from a different generation and just can't quite understand why, no matter how hard you try to explain it.
And then the opposite. The person at work you barely knew, just a “hey” in the corridor if you passed, who when you come out turns out to be quite unexpectedly, completely in your corner. Your biggest supporter in fact.
You find out who people are. Really are. And most people never get that. Never get to see it that clearly.
Whether you wanted to or not is a different question.
Mutant Power Number Four
Knowing who you are.
Professor X knows his own mind. Completely and utterly. He knows everyone else’s too lol.
Most LGBTQ+ people have been through it as well. Years of confusion, sometimes decades. Are you gay or is it a phase? Are you transgender or do you just like wearing those clothes sometimes? Do you fancy people regardless of whether they’re a guy or a gal, you’re just attracted to them because of the person they are.
Some people work it out alone. Some need a friend who helps them see it. Some need a professional to help bring clarity. Like a vision technician. AKA, a window cleaner. That moment where someone describes something and you just think. “Oh poop. Yeah that's me.”
People who aren’t LGBTQ+ don’t have that problem. They never have to deal with that level of confusion and eventually coming out the other side actually knowing who they are. They just are who they are. Lucky buggers.
We had to question ourselves, work it out. Understand our own minds. Professor X would be proud.
Mutant Power Number Five
Finding it funny.
Deadpool isn't technically X-Men. He'll tell you that himself, repeatedly, whilst uninvited at the mansion (you’ve had to see the film to get that one). But his best superpower isn't the healing factor. It's that he finds the whole thing so frickin’ hilarious.
LGBTQ+ people are funny too. Not like Ricky Gervais funny and not all of us obviously, some of us are really quite annoying. Me included. But as a community we've developed this specific kind of humour. Dark. Self aware. Takes the mickey out of itself before anyone else gets the chance.
So Are we Actually X-Men?
Kind of. Yeah I reckon we are.
We didn't ask for any of it.
But here we are. Reading rooms most people either can't or don’t need to. Getting back up when most people would stay down. Seeing people for who they really are. Knowing ourselves in a way that often took years to understand. And laughing about it. Because what else are you going to do?
The powers are real. So is the cost of having them.
We're not more special than anyone else. We're just what we had to become.
Mutants. The lot of us.
And honestly, that’s actually pretty damn cool.
I am a D&I consultant, keynote speaker, Mental Health First Aider, writer and transgender woman with 20+ years of senior corporate leadership experience. I work with businesses across all sectors to build genuinely inclusive cultures whilst also supporting transgender individuals and their families through every stage of the journey. If this piece resonated, you can find more articles on andreaking.net or book a free discovery call if you'd like to talk.
The views expressed in this article are my own and are based on personal experience and perspective. They are not intended as medical, legal or professional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions - LGBTQ+. Are we X-Men for real?
What is this post saying?
It compares LGBTQ+ life experiences to X-Men mutant powers as a way of talking about resilience, identity and community.
Why use X-Men as a metaphor?
Because the characters reflect themes of difference, survival, self-discovery and being misunderstood.
What are the “mutant powers” in the post?
Reading the room, getting back up, seeing what others don't, knowing who you are and finding humour in difficult things.
Is the post saying LGBTQ+ people are literally mutants?
No. It uses the idea of mutants as a metaphor for lived experience.
What is the main message?
That LGBTQ+ people often develop powerful skills through experience, even when those experiences are difficult.
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